Power amplifier module

ABSTRACT

A power amplifier module includes first and second amplifiers, a first bias circuit, and an adjusting circuit. The first amplifier amplifies a first signal. The second amplifier amplifies a second signal based on an output signal from the first amplifier. The first bias circuit supplies a bias current to the first amplifier via a current path on the basis of a bias drive signal. The adjusting circuit includes an adjusting transistor having first, second, and third terminals. A first voltage based on a power supply voltage is supplied to the first terminal. A second voltage based on the bias drive signal is supplied to the second terminal. The third terminal is connected to the current path. The adjusting circuit adjusts the bias current on the basis of the power supply voltage supplied to the first amplifier.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/662,385filed on Oct. 24, 2019, which claims priority from Japanese PatentApplication No. 2018-202115 filed on Oct. 26, 2018, and claims priorityfrom Japanese Patent Application No. 2019-120645 filed on Jun. 28, 2019.The contents of these applications are incorporated herein by referencein their entireties.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a power amplifier module. In a mobilecommunication terminal, such as a cellular phone, a power amplifiermodule for amplifying a radio frequency (RF) signal to be transmitted toa base station is used. Some power amplifier modules operate indifferent power modes according to the required power level of an RFsignal. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.2017-112588, for example, discloses a power amplifier module whichoperates in accordance with a low power mode or a high power mode. Inthe low power mode, the power amplifier module operates at a relativelylow voltage level. In the high power mode, the power amplifier moduleoperates at a relatively high voltage level. In this power amplifiermodule, an amplifier which is ON in either of the low power mode and thehigh power mode and an amplifier which is OFF in the low power mode andis ON in the high power mode are connected in parallel with each other.As a result of changing the number of operating unit transistors inthese amplifiers in accordance with the power mode, power is amplifiedsuitably for the selected power mode.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Reducing the amount of current consumed in a power amplifier moduleparticularly in a low power mode is increasingly demanded. To meet thisdemand, it is necessary to reduce the amount of current flowing throughunit transistors when the power supply voltage is relatively low. Merelyadjusting the number of operating unit transistors as disclosed in theabove-described publication is not possible to sufficiently reduce thecurrent consumed in the power amplifier module.

The present disclosure provides a power amplifier module in which theconsumption of a current can be reduced when the power supply voltage isrelatively low.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provideda power amplifier module including first and second amplifiers, a firstbias circuit, and an adjusting circuit. The first amplifier amplifies afirst signal. The second amplifier amplifies a second signal based on anoutput signal from the first amplifier. The first bias circuit suppliesa bias current to the first amplifier via a current path on the basis ofa bias drive signal. The adjusting circuit includes an adjustingtransistor having first, second, and third terminals. A first voltagebased on a power supply voltage is supplied to the first terminal. Asecond voltage based on the bias drive signal is supplied to the secondterminal. The third terminal is connected to the current path. Theadjusting circuit adjusts the bias current on the basis of the powersupply voltage supplied to the first amplifier.

It is possible to provide a power amplifier module in which theconsumption of a current can be reduced when the power supply voltage isrelatively low.

Other features, elements, characteristics and advantages of the presentdisclosure will become more apparent from the following detaileddescription of embodiments of the present disclosure with reference tothe attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a poweramplifier module according to a first embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of the configurationof the power amplifier module according to the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the relationship between thecollector-emitter voltage Vce of a transistor and the power supplyvoltage Vcc1;

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the currentIsub_b and the power supply voltage Vcc1;

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the currentIsub_c and the power supply voltage Vcc1;

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the current Isuband the power supply voltage Vcc1;

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the currentIef_pwr and the power supply voltage Vcc1;

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the current Iccand the power supply voltage Vcc1;

FIG. 9A is a graph illustrating a result of comparing the current Icc inthe power amplifier module of the first embodiment and that in acomparative example;

FIG. 9B is a graph illustrating a result of comparing the gain in thepower amplifier module of the first embodiment and that in thecomparative example; and

FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of theconfiguration of a power amplifier module according to a secondembodiment of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the disclosure will be described below with reference tothe accompanying drawings. Identical or similar circuit elements aredesignated by like reference numerals, and an explanation thereof willnot be repeated.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of a poweramplifier module 10 according to a first embodiment of the disclosure.The power amplifier module 10, which is used in a mobile communicationdevice, such as a cellular phone, amplifies power of an input signalRFin to a level high enough to be transmitted to a base station andoutputs the input signal RFin as an amplified signal RFout. The inputsignal RFin is a radio frequency (RF) signal modulated according to apredetermined communication system by using a radio frequency integratedcircuit (RFIC), for example. Examples of the communication standard ofthe input signal RFin are the second generation (2G), the thirdgeneration (3G), the fourth generation (4G), the fifth generation (5G),Long Term Evolution (LTE)—Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), LTE—TimeDivision Duplex (TDD), LTE-Advanced, and LTE-Advanced Pro. The frequencyof the input signal RFin is about several hundreds of megahertz toseveral dozens of gigahertz. The communication standard and thefrequency of the input signal RFin are not limited to theabove-described examples.

The power amplifier module 10 includes amplifiers 20 and 30, biascircuits 40 and 50, an adjusting circuit 60, and matching circuits 70,80, and 90.

The amplifier 20 (first amplifier) and the amplifier 30 (secondamplifier), each amplify an input RF signal and outputs the amplified RFsignal. The amplifier 20 is a first-stage (driver-stage) amplifier. Uponreceiving a power supply voltage Vcc1 from a power supply terminal T1,the amplifier 20 amplifies the input signal RFin (first signal) receivedfrom an input terminal via the matching circuit 70, and outputs an RFsignal RF1. The amplifier 30 is a second-stage (power-stage) amplifier.Upon receiving a power supply voltage Vcc2 from a power supply terminalT2, the amplifier 30 amplifies the RF signal RF1 (second signal)received from the amplifier 20 via the matching circuit 80 and outputsan RF signal RF2. The RF signal RF2 is output as an amplified signalRFout via the matching circuit 90. The amplifiers 20 and 30 are eachconstituted by a transistor, such as a heterojunction bipolar transistor(HBT). The amplifiers 20 and 30 may alternatively be each constituted bya field-effect transistor (FET), such as a metal-oxide-semiconductorfield-effect transistor (MOSFET). In this case, the collector, base, andemitter of a bipolar transistor may be read as the drain, gate, andsource of an FET. In the following description, a transistor is an HBTunless otherwise stated.

Upon receiving a bias drive signal from a control terminal T3, the biascircuits 40 and 50 supply a bias current or a bias voltage to theamplifiers 20 and 30, respectively.

The adjusting circuit 60 adjusts the amount of bias current suppliedfrom the bias circuit 40 to the first-stage amplifier 20. The detailedconfigurations of the amplifier 20, the bias circuit 40, and theadjusting circuit 60 will be discussed later.

The matching circuit (also called a matching network (MN)) 70 performsimpedance matching between a circuit (not shown) preceding the poweramplifier module 10 and the amplifier 20. The matching circuit 80performs impedance matching between the amplifiers 20 and 30. Thematching circuit 90 performs impedance matching between the amplifier 30and a circuit (not shown) following the power amplifier module 10. Thematching circuits 70, 80, and 90 are each constituted by an inductor anda capacitor, for example.

Although the power amplifier module 10 includes two stages of amplifiers20 and 30 in this specification, it may include three or more stages ofamplifiers.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the configuration of a power amplifiermodule 10A according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 illustrates thedetailed configurations of the amplifiers 20 and 30, the bias circuits40 and 50, the adjusting circuit 60, and the matching circuit 80 of thepower amplifier module 10 shown in FIG. 1. The other elements of thepower amplifier module 10 are not shown in FIG. 2.

Amplifiers 20A and 30A include transistors Q1 and Q2, respectively. Thepower supply voltage Vcc1 is supplied from the power supply terminal T1to the collector of the transistor Q1. The input signal RFin is suppliedto the base of the transistor Q1 via a capacitor C1. The emitter of thetransistor Q1 is grounded. The amplifier 20A amplifies the input signalRFin and outputs the resulting RF signal RF1 from the collector of thetransistor Q1. The power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied from the powersupply terminal T2 to the collector of the transistor Q2. The RF signalRF1 is supplied to the base of the transistor Q2 via the matchingcircuit 80. The emitter of the transistor Q2 is grounded. The amplifier30A amplifies the RF signal RF1 and outputs the resulting RF signal RF2from the collector of the transistor Q2. Each of the transistors Q1 andQ2 may be constituted by plural unit transistors connected in parallelwith each other, and the plural unit transistors operate similarly toserve as one transistor. One unit transistor is a minimum configurationthat contributes to serving as a transistor.

The input signal RFin is supplied to one end of the capacitor C1, andthe other end of the capacitor C1 is connected to the base of thetransistor Q1. The capacitor C1 allows AC components of an RF signal topass therethrough and blocks DC components.

A bias circuit 40A (first bias circuit) supplies a bias current or abias voltage, which controls a bias point of the transistor Q1, to thebase of the transistor Q1 via a resistor element R1. The operation ofthe bias circuit 40A is controlled based on a bias drive signal suppliedfrom the control terminal T3. The bias circuit 40A includes transistors41 through 43, a resistor element 44, and a capacitor 45.

The transistors 41 and 42 are diode-connected transistors. In adiode-connected bipolar transistor, the base and the collector areconnected to each other. The diode-connected bipolar transistor behaveslike a two-terminal rectifying element (bipolar element) equivalent to adiode. That is, between the two terminals of a diode-connected bipolartransistor, the terminal having a higher potential when thediode-connected bipolar transistor is forward-biased serves as an anode,while the other terminal having a lower potential serves as a cathode.In the bias circuit 40A, the transistors 41 and 42 are connected inseries with each other. A bias drive signal is supplied from the controlterminal T3 to the collector of the transistor 41 via the resistorelement 44. The collector of the transistor 42 is connected to theemitter of the transistor 41. The emitter of the transistor 42 isgrounded. With this configuration, a predetermined voltage (about 2.8 V,for example) is generated at the collector of the transistor 41. Insteadof the diode-connected transistors 41 and 42, p-n junction diodes may beused.

In the transistor 43, a voltage Vbat is supplied to the collector, andthe base is connected to the collector of the transistor 41 and is alsogrounded via the capacitor 45. The emitter of the transistor 43 isconnected to the base of the transistor Q1 via the resistor element R1,thereby supplying a bias current to the base of the transistor Q1.

A bias circuit 50A supplies a bias current or a bias voltage, whichcontrols a bias point of the transistor Q2, to the base of thetransistor Q2 via a resistor element R2. The operation of the biascircuit 50A is controlled based on a bias drive signal supplied from acontrol terminal T4. The bias circuit 50A includes transistors 51through 53, a resistor element 54, and a capacitor 55. The configurationof the bias circuit 50A is similar to that of the bias circuit 40A, anda detailed explanation thereof will thus be omitted.

The control terminals T3 and T4 may be each connected to a voltagesource, and a control voltage may be supplied as a bias drive signal.Alternatively, the control terminals T3 and T4 may be each connected toa current source, and a control current may be supplied as a bias drivesignal.

An adjusting circuit 60A is a circuit for adjusting a bias current to besupplied to the base of the transistor Q1. The adjusting circuit 60Aincludes a transistor 61 and resistor elements 62 through 64.

A first voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage Vcc1 issupplied from the power supply terminal T1 to the collector (firstterminal) of the transistor 61 (adjusting transistor) via the resistorelement 62 (first resistor element). A second voltage corresponding tothe bias drive signal is supplied from the control terminal T3 to thebase (second terminal) of the transistor 61 via the resistor element 44and the resistor element 63 (second resistor element). In the firstembodiment, the base of the transistor 61 is connected to the base ofthe transistor 43. The emitter (third terminal) of the transistor 61 isconnected to the base of the transistor Q1 via the resistor element 64(third resistor element) and the resistor element R1. The emitter of thetransistor 61 is also connected to the emitter of the transistor 43 viathe resistor element 64. In the first embodiment, the transistor 61 isan HBT in which the emitter and the base form a heterojunction. Thebandgap of the emitter is larger than that of the base.

The resistor element R1 is disposed between the bias circuit 40A and thebase of the transistor Q1, while the resistor element R2 is disposedbetween the bias circuit 50A and the base of the transistor Q2.

A matching circuit 80A includes capacitors 81 and 82 and an inductor 83.The capacitors 81 and 82 are connected in series with each other. Oneend of the inductor 83 is connected to a node between the capacitors 81and 82 and the other end is grounded. That is, the matching circuit 80is constituted by a T-type CLC circuit. The configuration of thematching circuit 80 is not restricted to this type of circuit.

The operation of the power amplifier module 10A will now be discussedbelow with reference to FIGS. 3 through 8. Currents and voltages arerepresented in the following manner, as shown in FIG. 2. The currentsflowing through the resistor elements 62 through 64 are Isub_c, Isub_b,and Isub, respectively. The current output from the emitter of thetransistor 43 is Ief_pwr. The bias current supplied to the base of thetransistor Q1 is Ibias. The current flowing through the collector of thetransistor Q1 is Icc. The collector-emitter voltage of the transistor 61is Vce. The bias current Ibias is expressed by Ibias=Ief_pwr+Isub.Accordingly, the current Ief_pwr and the current Isub partiallycontribute to adjusting the bias point of the transistor Q1. In thisspecification, each of the current Ief_pwr and the current Isub may becalled a bias current. The current Isub is equal to the total current ofIsub_b and Isub_c, that is, Isub=Isub_b+Isub_c.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the relationship between thecollector-emitter voltage Vce of the transistor 61 and the power supplyvoltage Vcc1. A slope 201 represents the collector-emitter voltage Vceof the transistor 61 in the power amplifier module 10A according to thefirst embodiment, while a slope 202 represents a collector-emittervoltage, which is the counterpart of the collector-emitter voltage Vce,of a transistor, which is the counterpart of the transistor 61, in apower amplifier module according to a comparative example. The poweramplifier module of the comparative example is different from the poweramplifier module 10A in that it does not include the adjusting circuit60. In FIG. 3, the horizontal axis indicates the power supply voltageVcc1, while the vertical axis indicates the voltage Vce.

FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the currentIsub_b and the power supply voltage Vcc1. A slope 300 represents thecurrent Isub_b. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis indicates the powersupply voltage Vcc1, while the vertical axis indicates the currentIsub_b.

FIG. 5 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the currentIsub_c and the power supply voltage Vcc1. A slope 400 represents thecurrent Isub_c. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis indicates the powersupply voltage Vcc1, while the vertical axis indicates the currentIsub_c.

FIG. 6 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the current Isuband the power supply voltage Vcc1. A slope 500 represents the currentIsub. In FIG. 6, the horizontal axis indicates the power supply voltageVcc1, while the vertical axis indicates the current Isub.

FIG. 7 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the currentIef_pwr and the power supply voltage Vcc1. A slope 601 represents thecurrent Ief_pwr in the power amplifier module 10A according to the firstembodiment, while a slope 602 represents a current, which is thecounterpart of the current Ief_pwr, in the power amplifier moduleaccording to the comparative example. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axisindicates the power supply voltage Vcc1, while the vertical axisindicates the current Ief_pwr.

FIG. 8 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the current Iccand the power supply voltage Vcc1. A slope 701 represents the currentIcc in the power amplifier module 10A according to the first embodiment,while a slope 702 represents a current, which is the counterpart of thecurrent Icc, in the power amplifier module according to the comparativeexample. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis indicates the power supplyvoltage Vcc1, while the vertical axis indicates the current Icc.

It is assumed that the power supply voltage Vcc1 varies in a rangebetween the lowest voltage and the highest voltage. The lowest voltageis about 1.0 V, while the highest voltage is about 4.5 to 5.5 V.

The path through which a current flows from the bias circuit 40A to thebase of the transistor Q1 via the resistor element R1 is set to be afirst current path 100. The emitter of the transistor 43 is connected tothe base of the transistor Q1 via the first current path 100. Theemitter of the transistor 61 is connected to the first current path 100via the resistor element 64. The path through which a current flows fromthe control terminal T3 to the power supply terminal T1 via the resistorelements 44 and 63, the base-collector of the transistor 61, and theresistor element 62 is set to be a second current path 101. The base ofthe transistor 43 is connected to the second current path 101. The paththrough which a current flows from the power supply terminal T1 to thebase of the transistor Q1 via the resistor element 62, thecollector-emitter of the transistor 61, the resistor element 64, and theresistor element R1 is set to be a third current path 102.

The transistor 61 is an HBT, and the ON-state voltage (about 1.1 V) ofthe base-collector p-n junction is different from that (about 1.3 V) ofthe base-emitter p-n junction. As shown in FIG. 3, the transistor 61starts to behave differently with respect to a certain intermediatevoltage (about 1.5 V, for example) of the power supply voltage Vcc1 as aturning point. The intermediate voltage is a voltage higher than thelowest voltage and lower than the highest voltage of the power supplyvoltage Vcc1. More specifically, when the power supply voltage Vcc1 ishigher than the intermediate voltage, the transistor 61 operates as anemitter-follower circuit. When the power supply voltage Vcc1 is lowerthan or equal to the intermediate voltage, the transistor 61 operates astwo p-n junction diodes.

When the transistor 61 operates as an emitter-follower circuit, thecurrent Ief_pwr flows from the bias circuit 40A to the base of thetransistor Q1 via the first current path 100, and also, the current Isubflows from the power supply terminal T1 to the base of the transistor Q1via the third current path 102. In this case, the current Isub_b is onlynegligible (see FIG. 4), and the current Isub is thus almost equal tothe current Isub_c (see FIGS. 5 and 6).

In contrast, when the transistor 61 operates as two p-n junction diodes,a current flows from the bias circuit 40A to the power supply terminalT1 via the second current path 101. The reason for this is as follows.The ON-state voltage of the base-collector p-n junction of thetransistor 61 is lower than that of the base-emitter p-n junction, and acurrent is thus more likely to flow between the base and the collectorof the transistor 61 than between the base and the emitter. In thiscase, the current Isub_c flows in the direction opposite that shown inFIG. 2. As the power supply voltage Vcc1 is lower, the adjusting circuit60 increases the current Isub_c flowing from the bias circuit 40A to thepower supply terminal T1 via the second current path 101 (see FIG. 5).As the current Isub_c flowing from the bias circuit 40A to the powersupply terminal T1 via the second current path 101 increases, the biascurrent Ief_pwr flowing from the bias circuit 40A to the base of thetransistor Q1 via the first current path 100 decreases.

As indicated by the slope 601 in FIG. 7, because of the operation of theadjusting circuit 60, when the power supply voltage Vcc1 is lower thanor equal to the intermediate voltage, the bias current Ief_pwr isdecreased, and when the power supply voltage Vcc1 is close to thehighest voltage, the bias current Ief_pwr in the power amplifier module10A approaches that in the comparative example. Due to a decrease in thebias current Ief_pwr, the current Icc flowing through the collector ofthe transistor Q1 is also reduced (see FIG. 8). It is thus possible toreduce the current Icc flowing through the transistor Q1 when the powersupply voltage Vcc1 is in a range between the lowest voltage and theintermediate voltage.

As discussed above, in the power amplifier module 10A according to thefirst embodiment, when the transistor 61 operates as two p-n junctiondiodes, the bias current Ief_pwr flowing through the base of thetransistor Q1 can be reduced. This can reduce the current flowingthrough the transistor Q1 and decrease the gain of the transistor Q1. Inparticular, using an HBT as the transistor 61 enables the transistor 61to operate as two p-n junction diodes when the power supply voltage Vcc1is in a range between the lowest voltage and the intermediate voltage.It is thus possible to reduce the current consumed in the transistor Q1when the power supply voltage Vcc1 is relatively low compared with thatwhen the power supply voltage Vcc1 is relatively high.

The power level of a signal output from the second-stage transistor Q2is higher than that from the first-stage transistor Q1. The power supplyvoltage Vcc2 supplied to the second-stage transistor Q2 is thus morelikely to be vulnerable to noise in an amplified signal than the powersupply voltage Vcc1 supplied to the first-stage transistor Q1. In thefirst embodiment, the power supply voltage Vcc1 is supplied to thetransistor 61 of the adjusting circuit 60. This makes it possible toreduce the influence of noise in an amplified signal compared with whenthe power supply voltage Vcc2 is supplied to the transistor 61. It isnot however to intend to exclude the configuration in which the powersupply voltage Vcc2 is supplied to the transistor 61.

In the first embodiment, the bias current to be supplied from thefirst-stage bias circuit 40 to the transistor Q1 is adjusted in theadjusting circuit 60. In addition to or instead of this configuration,the bias current to be supplied from the second-stage bias circuit 50 tothe transistor Q2 may be adjusted.

FIG. 9A is a graph illustrating a result of comparing the current Icc inthe power amplifier module 10A of the first embodiment and that in thecomparative example. FIG. 9B is a graph illustrating a result ofcomparing the gain in the power amplifier module 10A of the firstembodiment and that in the comparative example. The results illustratedin the graphs in FIGS. 9A and 9B are simulation results when outputpower of the first-stage amplifier is 4 dBm and the power supply voltageVcc1 is 1.0 V both in the first embodiment and the comparative example.

FIG. 9A shows that the current Icc flowing through the transistor Q1 inthe power amplifier module 10A of the first embodiment is reduced to besmaller than that in the comparative example. FIG. 9B shows that thegain in the power amplifier module 10A is decreased to be smaller thanthat in the comparative example. The reason for obtaining these resultsis that the power amplifier module 10A includes the adjusting circuit60.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of the configuration of a power amplifiermodule 10B according to a second embodiment. In the second embodiment,elements identical or similar to those of the first embodiment aredesignated by like reference numerals, and an explanation thereof willbe omitted. The second embodiment will be described mainly by referringto points different from the first embodiment while omitting the samepoints as those of the first embodiment. An explanation of similaradvantages obtained by similar configurations will not be repeated.

The power amplifier module 10B of the second embodiment is differentfrom the power amplifier module 10A of the first embodiment in that itoperates in different operation modes according to the power level of anoutput signal. More specifically, the operation mode includes a lowpower mode (first mode) and a high power mode (second mode). In the highpower mode, the power level of an output signal is higher than that inthe low power mode. The detailed configuration of the power amplifiermodule 10B will be discussed below.

The power amplifier module 10B includes amplifiers 20B and 30B, biascircuits 40B, 40C, 50B, 50C, and 50D, adjusting circuits 60B through60D, and matching circuits 70, 80, and 90.

The first-stage amplifier 20B includes two first cells 20 a and twosecond cells 20 b. Each of the first cells 20 a includes a first unittransistor Q1 a corresponding to the transistor Q1, resistor elements R1x and R1 y corresponding to the resistor element R1, a capacitor C1 acorresponding to the capacitor C1, and a resistor element R3 a connectedin series with the base of the first unit transistor Q1 a. Theconfiguration of the second cells 20 b is similar to that of the firstcells 20 a, and an explanation thereof will be omitted. The first andsecond cells 20 a and 20 b are connected in parallel with each other andoperate similarly so as to function as one amplifier. In the secondembodiment, two first cells 20 a and two second cells 20 b are provided.However, the number of first cells 20 a and that of the second cells 20b are not limited to two.

The second-stage amplifier 30B includes fourteen third cells 30 a andfourteen fourth cells 30 b. The configurations of the third and fourthcells 30 a and 30 b are similar to the configuration of the first cells20 a, and an explanation thereof will be omitted. In the secondembodiment, fourteen third cells 30 a and fourteen fourth cells 30 b areprovided. However, the number of third cells 30 a and that of the fourthcells 30 b are not limited to fourteen.

The ON/OFF state of the unit transistor included in each cell isswitched in accordance with a bias current supplied to the unittransistor. The bias circuit 40B (first bias circuit) supplies a biascurrent to the first unit transistors Q1 a included in the first cells20 a. The bias circuit 40C (second bias circuit) supplies a bias currentto the first unit transistors Q1 a included in the first cells 20 a andthe second unit transistors Q1 b included in the second cells 20 b. Thebias circuit 50B (third bias circuit) and the bias circuit 50C (fourthbias circuit), each supply a bias current to the third unit transistorsQ2 a included in the third cells 30 a. The bias circuit 50D (fifth biascircuit) supplies a bias current to fourth unit transistors Q2 bincluded in the fourth cells 30 b. The configurations of the biascircuits 40C and 50B through 50D are similar to the configuration of thebias circuit 40A shown in FIG. 2, and an explanation thereof will beomitted. The bias circuit 40B is different from the bias circuit 40A inthat it includes a resistor element R4 and a capacitor C2. The resistorelement R4 and the capacitor C2 are connected in series with each otherso as to connect the base and the emitter of a transistor, which is thecounterpart of the transistor 43 of the bias circuit 40A. This appliesnegative feedback to the transistor, thereby making it possible tostably supply a bias current.

The adjusting circuits 60B through 60D respectively adjust bias currentsoutput from the bias circuits 40B, 50C, and 50D. The configurations ofthe adjusting circuits 60B through 60D are similar to the configurationof the adjusting circuit 60A shown in FIG. 2, and an explanation thereofwill be omitted. For the sake of convenience, the power supply voltageVcc1 supplied to the resistor elements of the adjusting circuits 60Bthrough 60D are indicated by the arrows in FIG. 10.

When the power amplifier module 10B operates in accordance with the lowpower mode, a bias drive signal supplied from a control terminal T5drives the bias circuits 40B and 50B. This switches ON the two firstunit transistors Q1 a in the first-stage amplifier 20B and also switchesON the fourteen third unit transistors Q2 a in the second-stageamplifier 30B. In this case, the two second unit transistors Q1 b andthe fourteen fourth unit transistors Q2 b are OFF.

When the power amplifier module 10B operates in accordance with the highpower mode, a bias drive signal supplied from a control terminal T6drives the bias circuit 40C, while a bias drive signal supplied from acontrol terminal T7 drives the bias circuits 50C and 50D. This switchesON both the two first unit transistors Q1 a and the two second unittransistors Q1 b in the first-stage amplifier 20B and also switches ONboth the fourteen third unit transistors Q2 a and the fourteen fourthunit transistors Q2 b in the second-stage amplifier 30B.

In this manner, as a result of changing the total number of operatingunit transistors in accordance with the power mode, power is amplifiedsuitably for the selected power mode.

Additionally, in the second embodiment, in the case of the low powermode, the bias current adjusted by the adjusting circuit 60B is suppliedto the first unit transistors Q1 a (that is, part of the first-stagemodulator 20B). It is thus possible to reduce the current flowingthrough the first unit transistors Q1 a and to decrease the gain whenthe power supply voltage Vcc1 is relatively low, as in the poweramplifier module 10A of the first embodiment. In the case of the highpower mode, the bias circuit 40C is driven instead of the bias circuit40B, thereby avoiding the influence of the adjusting circuit 60B.

The adjusting circuits 60C and 60D respectively connected to the biascircuits 50C and 50D are provided for the following purpose. When thepower amplifier module 10B operates in the envelope tracking mode inwhich the power supply voltage Vcc1 varies in response to the envelopeof the input signal RFin, the adjusting circuits 60C and 60D serve toincrease the difference in the gain in response to the variation in thepower supply voltage Vcc1.

The embodiments of the disclosure have been discussed above throughillustration of examples. The power amplifier module 10 includes theamplifiers 20 and 30, the bias circuit 40, and the adjusting circuit 60.The amplifier 20 amplifies a first signal. The amplifier 30 amplifies asecond signal based on an output signal from the amplifier 20. The biascircuit 40 supplies a bias current to the amplifier 20 via a currentpath on the basis of a bias drive signal. The adjusting circuit 60includes the transistor 61 having first, second, and third terminals. Afirst voltage based on the power supply voltage Vcc1 is supplied to thefirst terminal. A second voltage based on the bias drive signal issupplied to the second terminal. The third terminal is connected to thecurrent path. The adjusting circuit 60 adjusts the bias current on thebasis of the power supply voltage Vcc1 supplied to the amplifier 20. Thetransistor 61 operates as two p-n junction diodes when the power supplyvoltage Vcc1 is relatively low. It is thus possible to decrease the biascurrent flowing through the base of the transistor Q1 of the amplifier20 and thus to reduce the current consumed in the amplifier 20.

In the power amplifier module 10A, the adjusting circuit 60A furtherincludes the resistor elements 62 through 64. The first voltage issupplied from the power supply terminal T1 to the first terminal of thetransistor 61 via the resistor element 62. The second voltage issupplied to the second terminal of the transistor 61 via the resistorelement 63. The third terminal of the transistor 61 is connected to thefirst current path 100 via the resistor element 64. As the power supplyvoltage Vcc1 is lower, the adjusting circuit 60A is able to increase thecurrent Isub_c flowing from the bias circuit 40A to the power supplyterminal T1 via the second current path 101 to be greater.

The power amplifier module 10B operates in accordance with an operationmode including a low power mode and a high power mode. The amplifier 20Bincludes a single or a plurality of first unit transistors Q1 a and asingle or a plurality of second unit transistors Q1 b. The single or theplurality of first unit transistors Q1 a are ON when the power amplifiermodule 10B operates in accordance with either of the low power mode andthe high power mode. The single or the plurality of second unittransistors are OFF when the power amplifier module 10B operates inaccordance with the low power mode and are ON when the power amplifiermodule 10B operates in accordance with the high power mode. The biascircuit 40B supplies a bias current to the single or the plurality offirst unit transistors Q1 a included in the amplifier 20B. Thisconfiguration makes it possible to reduce the current consumed in theoperation in the low power mode while avoiding the influence on theamplifying operation in the high power mode.

In the power amplifier module 10B, the amplifier 30B includes a singleor a plurality of third unit transistors Q2 a and a single or aplurality of fourth unit transistors Q2 b. The single or the pluralityof third unit transistors Q2 a are ON when the power amplifier module10B operates in accordance with either of the low power mode and thehigh power mode. The single or the plurality of fourth unit transistorsQ2 b are OFF when the power amplifier module 10B operates in accordancewith the low power mode and are ON when the power amplifier module 10Boperates in accordance with the high power mode. The power amplifiermodule 10B further includes the bias circuits 40C, 50B, 50C, and 50D.The bias circuit 40C supplies a bias current to the single or theplurality of first unit transistors Q1 a and the single or the pluralityof second unit transistors Q1 b. The bias circuits 50B and 50C, eachsupply a bias current to the single or the plurality of third unittransistors Q2 a. The bias circuit 50D supplies a bias current to thesingle or the plurality of fourth unit transistors Q2 b. When the poweramplifier module 10B operates in accordance with the low power mode, thebias circuits 40B and 50B are driven. When the power amplifier module10B operates in accordance with the high power mode, the bias circuits40C, 50C, and 50D are driven. This configuration makes it possible toreduce the current consumed in the operation in the low power mode whileavoiding the influence on the amplifying operation in the high powermode.

The above-described embodiments are provided for facilitating theunderstanding of the disclosure, but are not intended to be exhaustiveor to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. Modificationsand/or improvements may be made without necessarily departing from thespirit and scope of the disclosure, and equivalents of the disclosureare also encompassed in the disclosure. That is, suitable design changesmade to the embodiments by those skilled in the art are also encompassedin the disclosure within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Forexample, the elements and the positions thereof of the embodiments arenot restricted to those described in the embodiments and may be changedin an appropriate manner.

While embodiments of the disclosure have been described above, it is tobe understood that variations and modifications will be apparent tothose skilled in the art without necessarily departing from the scopeand spirit of the disclosure. The scope of the disclosure, therefore, isto be determined solely by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A power amplifier module comprising: a firstamplifier supplied with a power supply voltage and configured to amplifya first signal; a second amplifier configured to amplify a second signalbased on an output signal from the first amplifier; a first bias circuitconfigured to supply a bias current to the first amplifier based on abias drive signal, the bias current being supplied via a current path;and an adjusting circuit comprising: an adjusting transistor havingfirst, second, and third terminals, wherein a first voltage based on thepower supply voltage is supplied to the first terminal, a second voltagebased on the bias drive signal is supplied to the second terminal, andthe third terminal is connected to the current path.
 2. The poweramplifier module according to claim 1, wherein: the adjusting circuitfurther comprises first, second, and third resistor elements, the firstvoltage is supplied from a power supply terminal to the first terminalof the adjusting transistor via the first resistor element, the secondvoltage is supplied to the second terminal of the adjusting transistorvia the second resistor element, and the third terminal of the adjustingtransistor is connected to the current path via the third resistorelement.
 3. The power amplifier module according to claim 1, wherein:the power amplifier module is configured to operate in a first operationmode or a second operation mode, a power level of an output signal ofthe power amplifier module being greater in the second operation modethan in the first operation mode, the first amplifier comprises: atleast one first unit transistor that is ON when the power amplifiermodule operates in the first operation mode or the second operationmode; and at least one second unit transistor that is OFF when the poweramplifier module operates in the first operation mode and that is ONwhen the power amplifier module operates in the second operation mode,and the first bias circuit is configured to supply the bias current tothe at least one first unit transistor of the first amplifier.
 4. Thepower amplifier module according to claim 2, wherein: the poweramplifier module is configured to operate in a first operation mode or asecond operation mode, a power level of an output signal of the poweramplifier module being greater in the second operation mode than in thefirst operation mode, the first amplifier comprises: at least one firstunit transistor that is ON when the power amplifier module operates inthe first operation mode or the second operation mode; and at least onesecond unit transistor that is OFF when the power amplifier moduleoperates in the first operation mode and that is ON when the poweramplifier module operates in the second operation mode, and the firstbias circuit is configured to supply the bias current to the at leastone first unit transistor of the first amplifier.
 5. The power amplifiermodule according to claim 3, wherein: the second amplifier comprises: atleast one third unit transistor that is ON when the power amplifiermodule operates in the first operation mode or the second operationmode; and at least one fourth unit transistor that is OFF when the poweramplifier module operates in the first operation mode and that is ONwhen the power amplifier module operates in the second operation mode,the power amplifier module further comprises: a second bias circuitconfigured to supply a second bias current to the at least one firstunit transistor and the at least one second unit transistor; a thirdbias circuit configured to supply a third bias current to the at leastone third unit transistor; a fourth bias circuit configured to supply afourth bias current to the at least one third unit transistor; and afifth bias circuit configured to supply a fifth bias current to the atleast one fourth unit transistor, when the power amplifier moduleoperates in the first operation mode, the first and third bias circuitsare driven to supply the bias current and third bias current,respectively, and when the power amplifier module operates in the secondoperation mode, the second, fourth, and fifth bias circuits are drivento supply the second, fourth, and fifth bias currents, respectively. 6.The power amplifier module according to claim 4, wherein: the secondamplifier comprises: at least one third unit transistor that is ON whenthe power amplifier module operates in the first operation mode or thesecond operation mode; and at least one fourth unit transistor that isOFF when the power amplifier module operates in the first operation modeand that is ON when the power amplifier module operates in the secondoperation mode, the power amplifier module further comprises: a secondbias circuit configured to supply a second bias current to the at leastone first unit transistor and the at least one second unit transistor; athird bias circuit configured to supply a third bias current to the atleast one third unit transistor; a fourth bias circuit configured tosupply a fourth bias current to the at least one third unit transistor;and a fifth bias circuit configured to supply a fifth bias current tothe at least one fourth unit transistor, when the power amplifier moduleoperates in the first operation mode, the first and third bias circuitsare driven to supply the bias current and the third bias current,respectively, and when the power amplifier module operates in the secondoperation mode, the second, fourth, and fifth bias circuits are drivento supply the second, fourth, and fifth bias currents, respectively.